Levi x Reader Oneshots

The Mask (Levi x Reader)

Author's Note: Thank you all for 100K reads! To celebrate, I decided to revisit one of my early stories from a different point of view. If you ever wondered what Levi was thinking during "Carnevale", here is your chance to find out! :)

Levi sat alone in his office, working through the mound of paperwork that Erwin had assigned to him, when a soft knock sounded on the door.

"Name and business?" he grumbled while scratching his signature at the bottom of a page.

"It's me," a familiar voice responded. "(F/n). May I come in?"

Levi's breath hitched, but he quickly got it under control. Lately, he had been getting strange feelings when he was around (f/n). After several weeks of trying to shove them away, he was finally forced to admit that he was in love with her.

However, he was too nervous to say anything about it. That was another new feeling for him – nervousness. But it couldn't be helped. He had never even come close to a romantic relationship before. He had no idea how they worked, or what he was supposed to do. On top of all that, Levi thought that (f/n) likely wouldn't return his feelings, and he didn't want to make things awkward between them, both as her superior and as her friend.

He cleared his throat, then replied levelly, "Yes."

He heard his door open and close as she entered, but he kept his eyes glued to the document in front of him. He was afraid that he might do something stupid if he looked at her – like blushing, or forgetting how to speak.

"You look busy," she observed casually. "Do you want any help with that?"

"No, thank you," he grumbled. The longer he was alone with her, the more opportunity he had to embarrass himself.

"Okay then," she responded, and an awkward silence filled the room.

A moment later, she murmured, "Um, Levi...the whole squad is going to the Carnevale festival tonight, and I was wondering...would you like to join us?"

Ah yes, that was tonight. Carnevale. The most atrocious festival of the year. Trost always threw an outrageous party for the occasion, complete with food, dancing, and music that spanned the entire city. These annual festivities had a reputation for getting quite out-of-hand as the night progressed, which was what Carnevale was all about.

Naturally, Levi hated it. Raucous social gatherings had always given him a headache, and Carnevale was the most raucous of them all. Levi couldn't imagine a worse way to spend his time than by fighting through the crowds of drunk, masked partygoers all night long.

He was pretty sure that he already told his squad that he wasn't going, but perhaps (f/n) was just trying to be nice. "No," he muttered simply.

She sighed quietly, and Levi thought he detected a hint of disappointment in her tone. Involuntarily, his chest tightened at that sound. He never wanted (f/n) to be disappointed. And he certainly never wanted to be the cause of it.

"Well, if you change your mind..." She crossed the room and placed something on his desk. "...the carriage will be here at eight."

After that, she quickly walked out the door. Only then did Levi glance up to see what she had left for him.

It was a mask – elegant, bird-like, yet masculine. Levi had to admit that the intricate craftsmanship was stunning. Had (f/n) bought this for him?

He rose from his desk and walked into the adjoining bedroom, stopping in front of the small mirror on the wall. Tentatively, he secured the mask over his face, then looked into the glass.